The Latest From The Fronts

“Israel stepped up airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers and factories Tuesday, and Iran retaliated against Israel and across the Gulf region, disrupting energy supplies and travel. As explosions rang out in Tehran and in Lebanon — where Israel said it struck Hezbollah militants — the American embassy in Saudi Arabia came under drone attack.” AP: Israel steps up airstrikes in Tehran, as Iran widens its response across the region.

+ NYT (Gift Article): Iran’s Strategy: Expand the War, Increase the Cost, Outlast Trump. (One of the biggest questions moving forward is how countries in the region that have become the targets of Iran’s missiles and drones will react. Iran is betting they’ll push Trump to stop the war. But they could also join the fight.)

+ Middle East war could be decided by who runs out of missiles or interceptors first, analysts say.

+ Iran war heralds era of AI-powered bombing quicker than speed of thought. And about those Pentagon software vendor pronouncements. US Military Using Claude to Select Targets in Iran Strikes.

+ “When FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen FBI agents and staff last week for their role in the classified documents investigation of Donald Trump, he targeted an elite counter espionage unit that investigates threats from foreign adversaries and specializes in Iran.” (No one at the hockey game could have warned him about this?) And a reminder of The Intern in Charge: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

+ Here’s the latest from BBC, The Guardian, Times of Israel, and NBC.